Nearly 400 more college undergraduates—about a 6 percent increase—applied to veterinary schools in 2016 compared with the year before, according to the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges. A total of 7,071 undergraduates—80 percent female—used the Veterinary Medical College Application Service (VMCAS) in 2016 to submit 34,116 applications. The comparable numbers from 2015 were 6,673 undergraduates and 30,567 applications. On average, each student took a chance with five schools. “Given the ever-growing importance of the role veterinarians play in providing clinical care, promoting food security and public health, and advancing biomedical science, it’s encouraging to see this data,” said AAVMC’s CEO, Andrew Maccabe, DVM, MPH, JD. VMCAS charges $200 for the first application and $100 for each additional one. More than $33,000 in fees were returned to 168 financially challenged applicants in 2016. Most veterinary colleges require prospective students to submit their primary application through VMCAS and then, usually by invitation, ask candidates to submit a secondary application. There are exceptions. Western University of Health Sciences allows anyone to submit a secondary application once their VMCAS application has been received. Texas A&M University requires a primary application to be filed through the Texas Medical and Dental Schools Application Service. With an average U.S. veterinary class size of roughly 128, Class of 2020 applicants are vying for about 3,800 slots at the country’s 30 veterinary colleges. The University of California, Davis, received 894 VMCAS applications. Of 731 applicants who fulfilled application requirements, 161 were admitted and 145 accepted. The 2017 class consists of 125 women and 20 men. Originally published in the January 2017 issue of Veterinary Practice News. Did you enjoy this article? Then subscribe today!
